The Republic imported 22,825t of beef worth just over €100m last year, mostly under the form of whole or half carcases and fresh boneless cuts, CSO statistics show.

This was the lowest volume imported since 2003 and confirms the decreasing trend observed since beef imports peaked at 55,000t in 2011.

As in previous years, more than half of imported beef came from Britain, with 16,729t worth over €73m making their way across the Irish sea. The bulk of this was carcases or fresh boneless meat, but more than 2,800t of frozen British cuts also entered the state.

Polish beef imports steady

Northern Ireland shipped 4,160t of beef across the border, mostly fresh boneless meat.

Next was Poland with 448t across a mix of carcases and fresh whole or de-boned cuts, which is in line with previous years. The fear that Poland may flood the market with cheap beef as it cut its dairy herd by more than 100,000 cows last year has not - yet - materialised in Ireland.

Lithuania, which also cut its dairy herd in the face of the Russian embargo last year, was one of the main sources of beef imported here in 2015 with 216t, all in carcases or half-carcases.

The other significant players were the Netherlands (440t), Germany (248t) and France (211t).

18t of Brazilian beef

The virtual absence of beef from major non-EU producers such as Brazil (18t) and Australia on Irish shelves illustrates the importance of existing trade arrangements to protect farmers. CSO statistics also reveal the existence of confidential exotic imports, such as 2t from each Gabon and China.

According to CSO figures, Ireland exported 320,000t of beef last year. This is 14 times more than it imported.

Read more

’A Mercosur trade deal would be unequivocally negative for Irish beef’